The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has defended Amanda Knox’s comedy show after calls for the sold-out performance to be cancelled over concerns raised by the family of Meredith Kercher.
According to The Guardian, more than 6,000 people have signed a petition against Cartwheel, with Kercher’s sister, Stephanie, arguing the show “normalises and trivialises violence against women”.
Knox, who was wrongly convicted over Kercher’s 2007 murder before being acquitted by Italy’s highest court in 2015, rejected the criticism in an Instagram statement.
“Cartwheel is a show about motherhood, raising a daughter in a world that is unfair and dangerous for women, and what it costs to be the kind of mother who tells her the truth about that. Neither the author of this petition nor anyone who signed it has seen Cartwheel,” she said.
Knox added that the petition “many false assumptions and completely mischaracterises the show”.
“Cartwheel honours Meredith Kercher’s memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me,” she added.
Fringe Society director Tony Lankester told BBC Radio Scotland: “We’re not afraid of controversy.”
He added that the decision on whether the show proceeds rests with Knox and the venue.
The Guardian reported that Gilded Balloon Teviot, where the show is being staged, said the Fringe remains committed to freedom of expression while allowing audiences to make informed choices.
